Electrical indicator.



A.. 0 9 l 3, ...l T.. P E S D E T N E T A P W 0. OO 9. 0 7 7 m N` ELECTRICAL INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 30,1903.

-NO MODEL.

Patented September 13, 1904:.

^ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. FORREST, JR., OF KENOSHA, IVISCONSIN.

ELECTRICAL INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 770,230, dated September 13, 1904.

Application filed lvIOYeIlllJer 30, 1903. Serial No. 183,221. l(No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it rmty concern:

Be it known that I, IVILLIAM J. FoRREsT, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Kenosha, in the county of Kenosha and State of Visconsin, have invented a new and useful Electrical Indicatonof which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in indicators of that general class in which a disk or similar element receives a step-by-step movement to consecutively display numerals, characters, or other symbols through a common display-opening.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a device for use in barber-shops and other places to indicate the order in which customers are to be attended to, each person entering the shop being furnished with a ticket bearing a numeral and the indicator being' operated each time a customer is attended to and his ticket collected, so that the waiting customers may be informed of their proper turns.

rlhe invention is of course applicable to devices of any class, such as those employed for counting' or on cars or trains for indicating successive street-crossings or stations.

A further object of the invention is to provide an electrically-actuated indicator in which the indicating disk or disks will be positively locked after each movement, and thus prevent any irregularity in the movement of the disk on the sudden impulse ofthe armature when attracted by the operating-magnet.

W ith these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying' drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, size, and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacriiicing' any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a rear elevation of an electrical indicator constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig'. 2 is a similar view of a portion of the same, showing the parts in slightly-ditferent position. Fig. 3 is a front elevation showing the manner in which the numbers or other symbols are displayed. Fig. 4 is a front elevation showing a form of advertising-casing in connection with which the indicator may be used.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

In the drawings, l indicates a suitable base having bearings for the reception of parallel shafts or studs 2 and 3, on which are mounted indicating disks I and 5, respectively, the outer faces of the disks bearing the numerals or other symbols to be displayed through an opening' 6, formed in a face-plate 7. In the present instance each disk is provided with an annular row of numerals, from l to 9 and 0, and these maybe brought successively in alinement with the display-opening to indicate numbers from l to 99. When used in a barbershop or other public place, the casing may be in the form of an ornamental frame and utilized in part as an advertising' medium, as indicated in Fig. 4.

On the rear end of the shaft 2 is secured a ratchet-wheel 8, having a number of teeth equal to the number of divisions of the diskten in the present instanceand bearing on these teeth is one end of a spring 9, that serves to retard the movement of the disk and at the same time acts to prevent any backward movement. The face of the ratchet-wheel is further provided with a series of projecting pins 10, that form a part of the stop-motion for limiting the turning movement of the disk.

To the rear of the supporting-base is secured a frame Il, that in part supports an electromagnet l2, and mounted on the frame is a lever I3, carrying an arm 14C, arranged within the iield of force of the magnet. Under normal conditions the magnet is denergized, and the armature is held away from the pawls by means of a spring 15. At the upper end of the lever 13 is pivoted a pawl 16, adapted to engage the teeth of the ratchetwheel 8, and each time the magnet is energized its armature will be retracted and the pawl will be moved to the extent of a single tooth oi' the ratchet-wheel, and when the magnet is denergized the pawl will be moved back to initial position and engage a succeeding tooth in readiness for the next operation.

To the frame 11 is pivoted a two-armed lever 17, connected at one end to the lever 13 by means of a link 18. The opposite arm of the lever is connected at the rear end of a stop-finger 19, adapted to a suitable guide 2O on the rear portion of the frame and so disposed that each time lthe electromagnet is energized the stop-finger will be forced in the direction of the ratchet-wheel and by contact with the pins 10 will serve to correct the movement of the disk and at the same time positively lock the disk in place. On the operating movement of the'pawl the iinger will be withdrawn from engagement with the pins 1() and leave the disk free to revolve.

rIhe secondary or transfer disk 5 is provided with rearwardly-projecting pins or studs 23 of a number equal to the number of divisions on the disk-ten in the presentinstance. These pins are successively engaged by a radiallyprojecting nger 24, carried by the disk 4, the finger coming into contact with one of the pins at the completion of each rotative movement of the main disk 4. This serves to operate the secondary disk, so that when the primary disk moves from 9 the iinger 24 will engage the secondary disk and move it from O to 1, so that the number at the display-opening will be 10.

On the base 1 is secured a standard 25, to the upper end of which is pivoted a stop-lever 26, having a notch 27 for engagement with the successive pins 23, and said lever is normally held in engagement with one or other of the pins by means of a small coiled compression-spring 28. provided with a projecting shoulder 29, so disposed as to be engaged by the finger 24 in advance of the contact of the latter with one of the pins. In the operation oi" this portion of the mechanism the finger 24 first comes into contact with the shoulder 29 and moves the stop-lever downward and in the direction of the standard 25, so that the pin 23 will be released from notch 27. Further movement of the disk 4 and iinger 24 will cause the latter to engage the pin 23 and move the same for an angular distance of thirty-six degrees, or one-tenth of a revolution. The shoulder is first released from the standard, and before the movement of the disk is completed said lever reassumes its initial position in readiness to catch the next succeeding pin, and thus stop the disk in proper position.

The base-board is preferably provided with an electric bell 30, connected in series or multiple by wires 31 to a source of electrical rIhe lever isy further' energy, in the present instance indicated by a battery 32, and any desired number of circuit closers may be employed, so that the i`ndicator may be operated from dierent points, as from each chair in a barber-shop.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is- 1. In an indicator, an indicating-disk, a ratchet-wheel connected thereto, a plurality of stop-pins projecting from the ratchet-wheel, a pivoted pawl-carrying lever, a pawl for engaging the teeth of the ratchet-wheel, a stopiinger connected to the lever and movable in a direction opposite to that of the pawl to engage the stop-pins during operative movement of said pawl, and means for actuating said pawl-carrying lever.

2. In an indicator, an ind-icating-disk, a ratchet-wheel connected there to, a plurality of stop-pins projecting from the ratchet-wheel, a pivoted pawl-carrying lever, a pawl carried thereby and serving to engage the teeth of the ratchet-wheel, a stop-iinger for engaging the pins, a support for said stop-linger, mechanism connecting the'stop-'iinger to the pawlcarrying lever to transmit to said linger a movement in a direction opposite to that of the pawl, and means for actuating said pawlcarrying lever.

3. In an indicating mechanism, a revoluble disk, a ratchet-wheel connected thereto, a plurality of stop-pins, a pawl for engaging the teeth of the ratchet-wheel, a pivotally-rnounted pawl-carrying lever, a iin'ger for engaging between the stop-pins, means for guiding and supporting said nger, a two-armed pivotallymounted lever having one arm connected to the finger, a link connecting the opposite arm ofthe lever to the pawl-carrying lever, and means for actuating said pawl-carrying lever.

4. In indicating mechanism, a primary disk, a secondary disk, a plurality of pins projecting from the secondary disk, a pivoted stoplever having a notch for the reception of successive pins and presenting an inclined surface for engagement by the pins, a spring tending to hold said stop-lever in position, said lever having a laterally-projecting shoulder, and an arm carried by the primary disk and serving by preliminary engagement with said shoulder to move the lever to unlocking position and on continued movement to engage the previously-locked pin and impart angular movement to said secondary disk.

5. In an electrical indicator, a base, a pair of disksvcarried thereby, a ratchet-wheel secured to the primary disk, a plurality of pins extending from theratchet-wheel, a pawl for engaging the ratchet-wheel, a stop-iinger serving to correct the movement of the disk by engagement with the pins, a pivoted lever carried by the frame and carrying the pawl, an electromagnet, an armature carried by the IOO Y lever and disposed Within the ield of force of, In testimony that I claim the foregoing as the eleoti'omagnet, a plurality of pins projectmy own I have hereto aliXed my signature in IO ing from the secondary disk, a stop-lever for the presence of two Witnesses.

engaging the successive pins, and a finger oarw fied by the primary'disk and serving to en- WILLIAM J' FORRLSI" JR' gage the stop-lever and disconnect the Same IVtnesses:

from the pin in advance of the engagement of AMANDA MATTHEWS,

the linger With said pin. ROBT. E. WALKER. 

